Feature Recommendation for Pro 3 or Any Arlo Floodlight

[DeanG0070]

I was surprised to learn that the floodlight in my Arlo Pro 3 stayed on only while the unit was recording activity (when triggered at night).

Over the years, I have installed many motion-activated outdoor lights on the houses I've owned. ***Every one of them included the feature of selecting the duration that the light stayed on after being triggered.*** Every one.  It never occurred to me that my new Arlo Pro 3 motion-activated floodlight, which also included a camera for capturing activity, would remove this absolutely common feature.

I strongly suggest re-thinking the coupling of the timing of lighting duration with the length of the recording. 

Here is a simple, completely common, use case to consider: It is often at night that I walk down to collect mail from my mailbox, which is located on the street in front of my house. When I leave my house to do this, I walk either out the front door, which takes me along a walkway to the driveway, and triggers the light and camera, or out the garage door, over which the camera is mounted, which also triggers the floodlight and camera. I would have expected the light to stay on at least until I had reached the mailbox and returned to the house. In practice, the light goes out before I reach the mailbox, and the driveway remains dark upon my return until I get closer to the Pro 3. 

The is not that I have an unusually long driveway -- it is about 40 feet in length, perhaps 50.

Again, this ability for the floodlight to stay on for a specified period, e.g., 5 minutes, after being triggered, is present in every other motion-activated floodlight I have owned. The Arlo Pro 3 should have this as well.

[Dannybear]

Have you tried extending the recording time for the camera in the mode, camera rules? The max is about 5mins.

[DeanG0070]

I am aware of that feature. However, I really do not want longer recordings, only longer duration of lighting.

[Dannybear]

Ok, you’re after an additional setting when triggered.

https://www.arlo.com/en_dk/support/faq/000062390/How-do-I-adjust-the-light-settings-on-my-Arlo-Pro-3...

[StephenB]

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@DeanG0070 wrote:

I am aware of that feature. However, I really do not want longer recordings, only longer duration of lighting.

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I agree that it would be good to be able to automatically trigger the light even if motion recording is turned off, and also control the time the light remains on.

One partial solution is to use the setting "until motion stops", which wouldn't extend all recordings (but would extend the ones you outline).

[DeanG0070]

Actually, I do have the "until motion stops" option in effect. Perhaps if I increase the motion-detection sensitivity, from 80% to 100%, and re-adjust the camera a little, it might better cover then entire length of the garage. But I had spent time when I first installed the camera on fine-tuning the area that I wanted covered.

While some re-adjustment might help a little here, it would not change the more fundamental issue that one ought to be able to control the duration of lighting, once triggered by motion, independently from the duration of camera recording.

[StephenB]

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@DeanG0070 wrote:

one ought to be able to control the duration of lighting, once triggered by motion, independently from the duration of camera recording.

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I agree (though I would want the light to stay on through the full recording time even if light timer had expired).

[Rkiimble]

Having the ability to control the length of time the light stays on independent of the video setting absolutely seems to be a basic feature that is missing. I want to leave the recording set to record as long as their is motion but I would prefer that the light duration be in my control - at least up to 5 minutes. The same thing applies when triggering a second camera light based on motion on one camera light. I want to trigger a second light to come on when the first one detects motion. It maxes out at 2 minutes - it should allow up to at least 5. Please make this happen Arlo ….